KIDS LEARN ABCS

R.Kelly's recent performance in Miami was educational. I learned that sex education is a must - and the earlier the better.

I was surrounded by young girls - 12, 13 and 14 years old - screaming and grinding and crying. The more explicit he got, the more feverish they became.

Then there's Tevin Campbell: Shhh ... I'd rather do you after school like some homework, ahhh, am I getting you hot. In my bedroom ... unh, uh ... 'cause then we'd have to stop. I'd rather wait 'til everyone's fast asleep then do it in the kitchen on the table top ... ooh! Campbell was 17 when he recorded Shhh, written by Prince. The title of the album on which it appears is I'm Ready. I guess that says it all.

Maybe Tevin is ready, but many teens are not.

-- 741 babies were born to mothers 14-and-under in this state in 1992; 66 in Broward, 44 in Palm Beach.

-- 1,235 babies were born to mothers between the ages of 15-19 in Palm Beach County in 1992; in Broward, 1,718 babies were born to that age group.

-- Broward spends $5,220,820 a month on Aid For Dependent Children; 592 teen parents have been served over the past year. Palm Beach County spends $3,120,890 a month.

Love not in the equation

Explicit lyrics leave little to the imagination. Many teen performers covet sexual prowess, not love, in their music. Tevin Campbell is mild compared to others.

H-Town, for example, took innuendo and threw it out the door. Ranging in age from 18-20, they got right to it with 1993's Knockin Da Boots. Not a song about footwear or protecting the carpet. Lick U Up was their next single.

The group Silk (same age range) wasn't far behind with Freak Me. Not love me, hold me, get to know me. Just Freak Me.

Female singers have shown that they can sling the slang just as well as the guys. SWV's (Sisters With Voices) Downtown, on their debut album, It's About Time, goes like this: I've been waiting for this special moment, anticipating all the things you'll do to me; make the first step to release my emotions to take the road to ecstasy ... you've gotta go downtown.

Here's a hint folks, they're not pointing toward the mall. And while these three ladies - all about 19 when song was recorded - may believe they're clever lyricists, the message once again is a detailed description of sex. How I want it and what I want from it.

Dismissing this music might be easier if it were rap, but it isn't. This is pure r&b.;

Is it the responsibility of artists to educate teens about love rather than sex? No. But should all of us be concerned about teens learning more about sex from music than from home? Yes.

I'm no hypocrite. There isn't a song I've listed that hasn't brought a smile to my lips. But I'm grown. My values are in place. I know the difference between a relationship that's based on what "he can do to me" and what "we can do for each other."

A lot of the lyrics I hear now are more fitting for late-night comedy theater. But when I think of the impact these same lyrics must have on kids 12 and 13, it's really not funny.

What about caring?

Cynicism is rampant among young artists. The group Jodeci constantly offers money, cars, or other belongings as a means to endearing themselves to women in their songs. But what about trust, honor, caring? I guess in the age of microwave love, those things just take too long.

I don't want to cast a bad glare on all young artists. Most of the artists mentioned have created sweet, endearing music as well as the hot and steamy stuff. But the glorification of young sex remains costly.

Repeated use of lusty lyrics anesthetizes listeners. Through the numbness, the message is the same: touch this, do this, yeah, I like that. No mention of responsibility, no mention of accountability.

Tune out the heavy sax and just listen to what these young singers are really offering, then ask yourself what teens are learning from these lyrics.